Weaving a PGP Web of trust..proposal? comments? (fwd)

[George Foot]

On Tue 18 Aug, Denis.Russell@ncl.ac.uk wrote:
> At 10:16 pm +0100 17/8/98, George Foot wrote:
> ...
> >It is PGP (and Public Key Systems generally) which create the problems
> >of Key Distribution and hence bring about the proposal for CAs as a remedy
> >-- a remedy which falls far short of a cure.
> >...
> 
> There are always problems of key distribution, but public key systems in
> general make life simpler than private key systems. Of course there are
> still some remaining problems even with public key systems. The two common
> solutions for these problems are certification authorities and personal
> webs of trust (the "roll your own parachute" approach of Zimmerman).
> Neither is a "complete solution", but the disagreement seems to be really
> over what the problem actually is. I guess that when I think about having
> keys that I can trust to communicate with colleagues around the world whom
> I know personally, I am thinking of an almost, but not quite, completely
> different problem from those considered by government officials sat in the
> DTI or in Cheltenham.
> 
> 	Denis.

It is a point of view certainly and one commonly held and spread as a gospel.

But it is mistaken and if the the contributor cares to communicate with me 
privately we can discuss the matter further.

George

-- 
George Foot
georgefoot@oxted.demon.co.uk
Web Page.  http://www.oxted.demon.co.uk